After Nico had decided that he'd had enough time to process it, and also cry a little more, he decided that he wanted all of the people who would be on the Quest to know why he'd be out for Octavian's blood, quite literally. He just wanted to tell Apollo separately, knowing that the god wouldn't be able to sit there and pretend he was a random demigod if Nico and Percy were stood there explaining what Nathan had done with his son to bring back his Legacy. It wouldn't be fair to do that to him, not after the care and affection he'd shown Nico for the past few years.
"I'll tell him." Nico nodded, steeling his nerves and hoping that the twisting knot of his stomach would settle. "Just stay with me?" He asked Percy, biting his lip. He didn't want to have to face Apollo alone, knowing he couldn't solely handle the grief of the god.
"Of course I'll stay." Percy promised. "I'm going to follow you around just like Apollo does after he's caught you Shadow Travelling and you're going to be sick of me."
"I could never get sick of you." Nico informed him before reluctantly moving and standing up, knowing it was better to speak to Apollo sooner rather than later. "I'm going to drag Apollo up here if that's alright, I want to get it over with?"
"I can go if you want?" Percy offered, already moving. "I've been crying less and I've got the added bonus of being able to put my mask on."
"It's alright." Nico shook his head. "You stay here."
He headed for the door, opening it just as Apollo himself was about to knock.
"Hi Moonshine, just the person I was-" Apollo stopped, frowning when he saw the puffy, red eyes and the hint of tear tracks that Nico hadn't managed to wipe away properly. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"I was coming to get you, I need to tell you what Percy has just told me." Nico pulled him into the room and shut the door behind them.
"That was quick." Percy provided a small laugh to cheer him up.
"Have you been crying too?" Apollo asked, alarmed. "Moonshine, Seashell, what's wrong with you two?"
"We've just had a very emotional chat." Percy spoke for him. "Nico wants to explain it to you."
"It's about Will, isn't it?" Apollo asked, fear flashing on his face.
"Apollo, let me explain." Nico raked a hand through his hair. "Because you're just going to freak out and I'm not emotionally stable enough to deal with that right now."
Percy watched on as Nico told Apollo what Percy had just told Nico, sitting back and letting Nico speak for himself aside from minor interjections when Nico had looked to him for help. Apollo remained silent the entire time, tears welling in his eyes the further into the explanation Nico got. The revelation that Nathan had a hand in Will's death shocked a sob from the god but it was the only noise he made until Nico told him that if Nathan's information was correct, that if they handed Octavian over to the Fates they would release Will back into the world of the living and they'd be reunited. That's when Apollo broke.
The god that Percy was so used to seeing present a picture-perfect image of himself was in tatters, illusion shattered. He knew that if anyone made a comment about the gods not caring for their kids, he would be haunted by the image of Apollo before him as a reminder of one who obviously does. It was almost somehow worse that Apollo was currently in the form of a teenager, unnerving in the sense that he could freely blend in with his children at that moment and nobody would assume that he was a god who had lived through so much loss.
He picked up the diary again to distract himself, allowing Nico and Apollo a moment of privacy without leaving the room. He'd made a motion to it once and Nico had just glared at him so he'd stayed put. He let it fall open, hoping to glean some more information - dyslexia permitting.
I've had Octavian back for two weeks and it has been amazing. It's just unfortunate that I can't show that happiness outside of my Cabin since it seems the whole camp is in mourning for Solace, not just di Angelo. I never realised that he was so important, even if he was the Head Counsellor for his Cabin. Apparently he'd been here for years and had wormed himself into the good graces of many. His siblings are in uproar, none of them want to be the one to step into his position. And, to make matters worse, Apollo is here. He hasn't left since Dionysus summoned him when Will was dying and he's been guarding his kids and di Angelo like another one of them will die if he lets them out of his sight.
di Angelo has been a mess. He arrived a few hours after Will died and we all know when Apollo told him because the sky went black. The shroud burning was actually hard to watch, even though I knew it was how we were getting my Tavy back. He was a mess. At least when he burned Jackson's shroud he wasn't standing there crying with only Apollo as support, the rest of the Seven were standing there crying as well.
I almost wish that there was a different way we could have done this but then I remember what it was like to see Octavian's eyes open for the first time and I know that I would have sacrificed the entire Apollo Cabin and di Angelo himself if I had to. I just know that nobody can ever find out, otherwise di Angelo would drag Octavian back into the Underworld himself.
"Percy?" Nico's voice made him stop reading and look up.
"Both okay?" Percy asked, noting the two weak smiles they were sporting. "Murderous thoughts towards Nathan and Octavian present but at bay until we catch them?"
"Is this why you picked me to come along?" Apollo asked.
"Not the only reason." Percy shook his head. "Obviously I didn't think it would be fair to tell you and then leave you in Camp while we went after them, and I knew that you'd want to come and mother-hen Nico into insanity. But I was also being a little selfish with the knowledge that having a god on our side will certainly give us an advantage. Plus, if Gaia has been raising the Giants, we'll be able to defeat them without having to wait for assistance from Olympus."
"I didn't even think about the Giants," Nico groaned.
"I didn't either, but it makes sense if Kronos and Gaia are both rising." Percy sighed. "They'll do everything in their power to ensure their success."
"They're supposed to be dust, spread so far apart that they couldn't possibly rise." Apollo shook his head. "Especially not in your lifetimes."
"That's why I'm reading this." Percy waved Nathan's diary. "In the hopes I can find some answers in amongst his descriptions of Octavian's physical appearance and his ratings of different campers' attractiveness."
He didn't want to describe what he'd actually just read, not wanting to add to the upset already present, but his summary was a pretty accurate description of the early contents of Nathan's musings.
"That must make for some entertaining reading." Nico seemed glad to take the conversation in a different direction.
"Some of it, yes." Percy nodded. What wasn't entertaining was left unsaid.
"You made some interesting choices down there." Apollo decided to circle back to their earlier topic of discussion. "Why take twelve when you could have just taken Nico and Luke?"
"Call it a gut feeling." Percy shrugged. "I don't want them to surprise us and have the upper hand. We were blindsided by the revelation about Octavian, we didn't have a clue that he was alive, let alone living in Poseidon's Cabin, and I don't want him springing another surprise on us. He'll be expecting a team of three after him, not twelve, because he's operating under the illusion that we don't know what he did to bring Octavian back and he still thinks that we think he's my brother."
"You're talking sense, Seashell." Apollo nodded along with his explanation for a moment before pausing and tilting his head in confusion. "Why twelve though?"
"I counted all of the people I wanted, added one for the inevitable possibility I'd remember another halfway through, and made it sound as if I knew what I was on about," Percy grinned. "Us four and the Seven make eleven- wait..." He realised he had counted himself in both groups. "Us four, Thalia, and the six of the Seven make eleven, add Grover as the bonus and we get twelve. Twelve gods, twelve of us, works out quite well really."
"We trusted you with two Great Prophecies." Apollo pinched the bridge of his nose. "How Olympus isn't in ruins yet, I don't know."
"Turns out I wasn't even the hero of the first one, that was on Luke, and there were six other heroes to blame as well as me if the second one didn't work out." Percy pointed out before realising something. He narrowed his eyes at Apollo and huffed. "Which wouldn't have come about so soon if somebody hadn't meddled."
"That wasn't just me." Apollo had the decency to look sheepish.
"I didn't say it was." Percy countered, smirking at him. "At least you're willing to admit partial responsibility though."
"Seashell, for you I'd admit anythi-"
"Percy has a point," Nico realised, cutting off Apollo. The latter's expression immediately turned indignant, folding his arms as he sulked over being interrupted. "There technically is one of us for each Olympian. If you count my dad instead of Mr D and also pretend he gets two instead of Hera. Also Zeus, with Jason and Thalia but technically she represents Artemis. So we've got Jay for Zeus – Jupiter if we're being pedantic, Perce for Poseidon, me and Hazel for my dad, Luke for Hermes, obviously you for yourself," Nico gestured at Apollo, "Leo for Hephaestus, Frank for Ares – well, Mars, Pipes for Aphrodite, Annabeth for Athena and Thalia for Artemis. I guess we can say Grover and Demeter kind of match up? We've got a representation of nearly every godly power."
"Oh yes." Percy nodded his head as he spoke. "Totally what I was going for. You figured it out, Neeks, my great plan."
"Percy." Nico levelled him with a look. "You had no plan. You still have no plan."
"Yes I do." Percy answered to be contrary. He also didn't want to admit that Nico was right; the first rule of having a younger sibling was to never admit that they are right, and he wasn't about to break that rule there and then.
"What is it then?" Nico raised an eyebrow.
"It is a plan." Percy grinned, hoping to stall for a moment until he actually came up with the thing he supposedly already had. "To go after Nathan. And Octavian. Since they escaped. Together."
"Two Prophecies," Apollo whimpered softly.
"We need to go and see Rachel and get one of those." Percy pointed out. "See, I know what I'm doing."
Nico groaned as Percy pointed finger guns at him, which did not help his argument that he knew what he was doing.
"We need approval from the gods to go, which we've essentially already got," Percy listed, gesturing to Apollo before continuing, "we need a Prophecy from Rachel, we all need to pack, and I also need to talk to Piper."
"About Drew?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Jay said she was acting funny." Percy shook his head. "Last week. I've been trying to figure out what he meant and I'm pretty sure I've got a fairly accurate idea. I'd just rather deal with it before we go running after Nathan and Octavian."
"Do you have any idea where we should head for? Does that diary of Nathan's hold any insight into where they might go?" Apollo asked, eyeing said diary with interest.
"Well, we aren't going into the Labyrinth." Percy decided, shuddering at the thought of descending into the dark. He wanted to avoid entering the Labyrinth at all costs and all he could do was hope that Nathan and Octavian weren't planning on staying down there for long.
There was a knock on the door before he could continue.
"Is everyone decent?" Luke asked before sticking his head in and giving Percy a wicked grin. "Good, you're all wearing clothes. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are back and want to see us all."
"Thanks for the nightmares I'm going to have tonight." Percy stated dryly.
"I told you once, Seashell, the only dreams that you should be having with me in them are good ones." Apollo cackled, wiggling his eyebrows when Percy made the mistake of looking in his direction.
Percy flipped him off before focusing on locating his mask and cloak. "I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that."
"I need so much therapy because of you." Nico groaned, shaking his head.
"Bicker later, come and deal with the Big Three now." Luke motioned for them to hurry up.
"Yes, dearest." Percy swirled his cloak around his shoulders and gestured for Luke to lead the way.
"How come he gets dearest and I get nothing?" Apollo shouted after him.
"Sorry Buttercup!" Percy teased, bouncing down the stairs after Luke to the sound of Nico groaning. "You have to earn my affections."
"Stop encouraging him!" Nico yelled after him. "Or I'll add you to the list of people paying for my therapy!"
Percy practically fell through the door after Luke, laughing.
"Wow, he does have a sense of humour." Reyna commented, mystified.
"Where is everyone?" Percy asked, instantly noticing that there were less people in the room than there were when he left it. "I thought you wanted us to hurry?" He huffed at Luke.
"If you'd hurried up, maybe people wouldn't have wandered off." Luke teased, grinning at him.
"I had to speak to Nic and Solis, it's not my fault people have gone walkabout." Percy bickered. "You were the one babysitting."
"Hi Blue, lovely to see you too." Poseidon chuckled, interrupting before Luke could say anything back to him.
"Dad!" Percy zeroed in on his father.
"Does your old man get a hug or do you have to chase down errant demigods?" Poseidon asked, a twinkle in his eye.
"Well, I do need to go and round up the ones who have wandered off, since somebody lost them." Percy considered. "But I can spare a few seconds for a hug."
"Lies and slander." Luke hissed as Percy acquiesced to his father's request. "I didn't lose anyone, they left of their own volition."
"Well, maybe you should have stopped them." Percy informed him, despite having his chin hooked over Poseidon's shoulder and not even looking at Luke.
"Let me have my hug and then you can go back to bickering with Mr. Castellan." Poseidon rumbled, chest vibrating with laughter.
"I can multitask." Percy put in a token protest before shutting up and letting his dad hug him. When he stepped away, he scanned the room and tried to figure out who was missing.
"Travis and Connor said they'd be back in five." Clarisse informed him from where she was lounging in one of the chairs, feet folded on the table. "And we saw them go through the door if you're worried about them running amok in your Cabin."
"I'm more concerned about where Leo and Ignis are." Percy realised that the duo were suspiciously absent.
"Iggy said something about a dragon?" Silena piped up from where she was sitting on the table beside Clarisse's feet.
"Festus." Percy realised with a groan.
"Do you want to go and round up the missing demigods and then we'll discuss your Quest?" Hades suggested dryly. "Or do you want to talk about it and inform them later?"
"Honestly, I think we need to find Leo and Ignis before we hear an explosion." Percy sighed. "Silena, come and help me track them down?"
"I'm coming too." Clarisse informed him, eyes narrowing at him.
"By all means," Percy nodded. He scanned the room, looking for one person in particular. "Piper!" He called, gaining the girl's attention. "Come and help us find Leo? I need someone who can persuade him to come back and you know him well."
"Okay." Piper acquiesced, standing and flicking one of the thin braids in her hair over her shoulder. Her eyes caught the light with the movement, flashing blue. Percy sighed. This wasn't going to be fun.
"Need more company?" Nico asked lowly.
"I'll be alright with Silena and Clarisse." Percy shook his head, patting Nico's arm gently. "Stay here and talk to Solis and your dad."
"We'll check the woods first." Percy decided once Piper, Clarisse and Silena had woven their way through the remaining demigods. "It's the most likely place."
"Lead the way." Clarisse gestured, lips twitching with amusement. He was torn, part of him wanting to know what she found amusing. The other part was too afraid to ask.
"I'll take my dad and Solis and we'll round up whoever else is missing." Nico caught his arm as he was about to leave.
"Thanks Nic." Percy gave him a soft smile. "You okay?"
"Go." Nico gently shoved "I'm still processing. I'll be fine. Just go find Leo."
"So that was a touching little scene between you and di Angelo." Clarisse commented once they were out of the Cabin and heading towards the woods, on the same path that Luke and Percy took earlier to chase down Octavian. Percy couldn't believe how much had happened in just a few hours.
"I had to break some bad news to him before." Percy responded.
"You do realise that we all think you're sleeping together, right?" Clarisse snorted.
Percy tripped over a tree root. "What?"
"You and di Angelo. Crossing Master Bolts. Wrestling like the sea and the shoreline. Getting down and dirty grave digging. Exchanging strategies. Sharing weapons." Clarisse listed off various euphemisms.
"I understood you the first time." Percy interrupted before she could think of any more. "Even though I wish I didn't."
"You're not answering the question." Clarisse informed him. "Are you or are you not nocking arrows with di Angelo? Because if you are..." The daughter of Ares cracked her knuckles and gave him a threatening grin. "Upset him and you're dead."
"I'm not sleeping with Nico!" Percy protested swiftly. "He's basically my baby brother, I would never."
"Huh." Clarisse nodded. "So, you're wriggling around like George and Martha with Castellan then?"
"What?" Percy tripped over a tree root. Again.
"Clarisse." Silena chided.
"He's easy to wind up, sue me." Clarisse shrugged.
"Luke is an obvious choice to tease him about, that is all I am saying." Silena laughed, clear as a bell. "Be a little more creative with your suggestions of love affairs."
"What are your thoughts on our fearless leader then?" Clarisse asked. "The oh so glorious Nathan, son of Burns, first of his name."
Percy cackled. "Oh damn." He shook his head and rolled his eyes before speaking with extreme sarcasm in his tone. "Words can't describe the man, the myth, the legend."
"Well, no words other than fuck ugly." Clarisse's voice was completely dry.
"Nathan isn't half bad." Piper interjected.
"Wow." Percy looked at her. "You really are possessed, aren't you?"
Her eyes flashed blue and she recoiled, hissing. "You just had to come along and ruin it, didn't you?" The voice that came out of her mouth was unearthly and strange.
"Get out of her body, get out of this camp, and do not inhabit the body of a demigod ever again." Silena spoke, voice commanding.
It always surprised Percy when Silena used Charmspeak, since she used it so rarely. The only time he'd ever seen her use it before her untimely death was when Festus went berserk when he'd been activated the first time. He'd asked her about it when Festus had come up in conversation between the two of them and Beckendorf and she had just shrugged, simply stating it wasn't a power she was comfortable with and others knowing that she had. She couldn't hide her ability to shift her appearance – an absolute godsend on some missions – since it was an intrinsic part of her and it was second nature to change her hair colour or her eye colour to match an outfit, but she had control over who knew she could Charmspeak. And she'd said that she was glad Luke had never found out during his time in Camp, fearing that if the knowledge had been acquired by Kronos when inhabiting his body, he would have insisted that Silena play a more active role in recruiting instead of silently passing on (mostly incorrect) information.
A dark wisp of smoke shot out of Piper's body and gave them the smoky equivalent of a middle finger before departing, shooting deep into the woods.
"Oh thank the gods." Piper stumbled, Percy darting to catch her before she fell.
"Are you alright?" He asked, steadying her.
"Bastard Eidolon," Piper cursed. "It knew I would have been able to Charmspeak it out of anyone else so it decided to possess me, I've been riding backseat in my own body for weeks."
"Good thing he brought me along then." Silena cut in before Percy could say anything as he stepped back to give Piper some space now that she was steady on her feet. "Otherwise Blue would owe Drew one and nobody wants to be in that debt."
"You're Silena!" Piper's expression was akin to that of someone meeting their favourite star, sheer delight lighting up her eyes that had returned to their usual kaleidoscope of colour, changing instead of being settled on an unnerving blue. "Drew hates me almost as much as she hates you."
"Good to know nothing has changed." Silena laughed. "It's nice to meet the non-possessed version of you."
"I hate to interrupt the introductions, but can you remember if the Eidolon made you do anything or what it planned to make you do?" Percy felt bad, he knew that Silena had looked forward to meeting Piper and Piper had always said she wished she could have met Silena, but he had to prioritise any damage the spirit may have caused.
"It didn't do anything much, I think it was just acting as a spy of sorts. It wanted to kill you but was waiting for something to happen, I can't really remember what." Piper shook her. "It wasn't happy about Nathan leaving, but it was happy when you picked me for the Quest. Other than that I can't think of-" she gasped suddenly, covering her mouth. "It broke up with Jason!"
"I think he'd be happy with the excuse 'a vengeful spirit possessed me and broke up with you', don't worry about it girl." Silena winked. "Makes sense really, cut off the guy who would notice a change in your actions."
"He said he'd noticed you'd been acting off." Percy nodded. "He'll understand."
"I feel horrible!" Piper groaned.
"We just need to find Ignis and Leo and then we can head back." Percy informed her in an attempt to provide comfort. "You'll be able to explain in no time!"
"No need to worry about finding them," Clarisse spoke up cheerily. "I've already found them."